Lessons in Life and Web Design
by take the mic. sing to me
Summary: Sequel to Not Your Ordinary Freaky Math Girl. ON HIATUS.


**A/N: **This is kind of going to be like the book _Click Here_... except for... mine. Heh. Again... don't steal anything. Please. Although I don't own the original characters, blah, blah, blah.

* * *

I was trying to pay attention during algebra while Sharpay kept on whining. Turned out that after I got to know her, she was pretty nice. Pssh. I kind of have to say that I had a part in that. And Ryan's getting more... closer to normal, too. We're making progress here. 

"Gabbi! Pleeeeeease!" Sharpay hissed, sticking out her lower, glossed lip. Her blond hair was as poofy as it always was, and she constantly had to blow her bangs out of her face. It was kind of amusing, actually. I'd never noticed how abnormally poofy Sharpay's hair was.

So I used this as a distraction. Since I already understood the lesson and had completed it in my textbook, I thought about hair to drown out Sharpay's whining. I thought about my hair, and how different it was--it was thick, but not poofy. It was straight, not curly. It was dark brown, not blonde... then I started thinking about how different Sharpay and I actually were. I was a braniac, she was a drama queen. I chuckled to myself, shaking my head, then realized how insane I must have been looking to my peers. I cleared my throat awkwardly and raised my eyebrows, inhaling deeply before picking up my pencil and doodling in the margins of my textbook.

I almost jumped out of my seat when a crumpled-up ball of pink paper landed in my lap. Looking to Sharpay, I knew it was her.

_Gabbi, you have to tell me what happened after the callbacks!_

I looked at her, trying to display all of the annoyance that I felt for her on my face. "An after party," I mouthed sarcastically.

Sharpay ripped off another scrap of pink paper. I rolled my eyes. If Sharpay was anything, it was persistent.

_Between you and Troy._

I didn't answer her. Unfortunately for me, the bell rang, which meant that Sharpay was free once more to chatter on about why I couldn't possibly tell her. I wove my way through the throng of teenagers to get to my next class--which I shared with Troy, not Sharpay. I couldn't help but smile when I saw Troy waiting for me by my locker.

"You're late," he smirked, his brown hair getting into his eyes.

"What? You've been watching the time?" I asked, giggling.

"Well, what can I say, Gab?" he shrugged, his blue eyes twinkling with mischief. "I have. It's been exactly thirty-seven minutes and fifty-eight seconds since I've last been with you... kidding. But, hey. I'm pretty good at pretending to be smart, huh?"

"Maybe." I didn't want to give him the satisfaction, and went ahead to our next class. A feeling of sheer exhilaration electrocuted my insides when he hurried to catch up with me, slipping an arm around my shoulder casually. "Troy," I said, turning away so he couldn't see me blush, "People will think we're together!"

"Hey, what's wrong with that?" he asked, and as I opened my mouth to say something, I smiled again. There wasn't really anything wrong with that, as far as I was concerned.

* * *

**_Monday, April 3, 2006_**

Sharpay doesn't forget easily, does she? She's still pestering me about the after party that took place in January. And Troy and I haven't kissed since then... just playful flirting is all, and, hey... can't say I'm not enjoying it, since it's pretty fun.

I'm starting to get one of those weird feelings again. Like Troy might like me again. Right before March we agreed that we didn't like each other and just to remain best friends--but neither of us dated anyone. And I'm kind of glad. I can't think of anyone to date and frankly, I'm not sure how I'd take it if Troy dated another girl. Not that we ever dated or anything. We just liked each other alot two months ago.

All of us (me, Troy, Chad, Taylor, Sharpay, and Ryan) were doing something family-wise on April 1, so we weren't able to prank each other like we always threatened. Funny how things had turned out. Me, Sharpay, and Taylor are almost attached at the hip now--we're inseperable, and Ryan's pretty good at basketball, people are less afraid of him, now that he dresses normally--Sharpay finally taught him the difference between show clothes and street clothes, and with the help of all of us, we got Ryan a whole new wardrobe. Heck, Mr. & Mrs. Evans (not to be disrespectful, they're nice) are filthy rich. They didn't even notice the huge credit card bill. They just asked Sharpay if she bought a new car.

We all have our own "table" now in the cafeteria...Ryan, Sharpay, and Kelsi (she moved away, though, as did Jason who-doesn't-have-a-last-name) were the only members of the drama club--Kelsi just barely--so we took their table. It has a nice view. I guess Sharpay felt like some sort of hawk that could attack on any vunerable person lower on the high school food chain...?

Anyway, most of the major school events are over... for now. The spring musical's coming up, and since it has four main roles (Sharpay and Ryan immediately insisted that Troy and I get the romantic part--which I kind of understand, since they're twins and all--but it seems like some sort of plan to get Troy and I back together. I'm not sure what I think of it just yet), everyone's going to be happy, and since we got a sound system installed just recently (courtesy of a fundraiser started by... everyone), we won't need a pianist that badly... but it was kind of weird when Kelsi played for Troy and I and Sharpay and Ryan, since that couldn't _just _have been the piano. o.o Rip-off artist...?

More later... Sharpay's asking me what I'm writing. Eek.

---------

Troy seemed to be looking at the new girl in our class--Jennifer Foxx--alot. I'm kind of worried, since I've heard from Sharpay that "she's a no-good whore." I don't think I'm jealous... I just don't want Troy to get hurt.

* * *

"Hey, Troy," I heard Jennifer's voice. I whirled around to see her flirting with him. My eyes sort of automatically narrowed. 

"Hey, Jennifer," Troy's eyes twinkled, like they did this morning when he talked to me. My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach--why, I don't know.

"I've heard alot about you--that you can play basketball, sing, dance, act, and _look good_," Jennifer said bluntly, but said it in a sort of seductive way. Heh. I didn't know it was possible to be seductive while talking like such a whore.

"Thanks," Troy replied coolly. "I have to go. See you later."

"Bye, Troy!" Jennifer blew a kiss and wiggled her fingers. Troy left the room before I did, and right after that, I thought I saw Jennifer's eyes narrow at me. I scampered out like some sort of squirrel about to become roadkill. And I was pretty sure I was going to be roadkill had I stayed in that room any longer.

"Who was that?" I snapped, trying not to sound jealous.

"Um... you heard her. Jennifer," Troy said, seeming to sense that something was wrong. "Um... Gabriella? Are you okay?"

"No, Troy. I'm perfectly fine." Goodness, I'm such an idiot. For some reason, tears just come rushing down my face like waterfalls--no mascara here, so I was fine. And then I run away, smacking into Ms. Darbus, who is all taken aback by the awkwardness of the situation, then sends me to the guidance counselor. I turned around, again, for no good reason, to see Troy following me and Ms. Darbus giving him a dirty look, like we broke up or something. And we kinda did.

I went into the guidance counselor's office and saw a girl crying about a series of bruises on her arm. "Heh... is this a bad time?" Poor Mrs. Hendricks nodded, and I closed the door, sitting in an empty chair outside of it, in a sort of waiting area. Kind of like a hospital. One for crazy high schoolers with mental problems or just people who were good at pretending to have problems so they could cut class.

Troy sat beside me, and I gave him the look of death. He ignored it. "Gabriella, you lied to me. What's wrong?"

The door opened and the bruised girl slinked out. I took this as an opportunity, opening the door and wrenching my arm away from Troy as he reached out to hold it. I quietly closed the door behind me and sat down.

"Hi, Gabriella," Mrs. Hendricks said. She always made every visit sound like one to her home. "I haven't seen you in awhile. Would you care for a drink?"

"Water, please," I said, choking on some sticky stuff in my throat that had formed while I was sobbing in the stupid hallway. I took the disposable cup and drank the cold, refreshing water, sniffling a "thank you" afterwards.

"Gabriella, would you care to tell me why you were crying so terribly?" Mrs. Hendricks asked kindly.

So then I told her the whole thing. "IthinkIstillloveTroy." And everything just kept on coming out of my mouth--Jennifer, how he was flirting with her and not me and how jealous I had become... how insecure I was.

I ended up drinking about three glasses of water before I stopped crying, and probably fifteen tissues. "Thanks, Mrs. Hendricks," I murmured. "I feel alot better."

"Anytime, dear..." Mrs. Hendricks smiled sincerely, handing me a bottle of water and one of those travel-sized packages of tissues. "Just in case." I nodded my thanks and went out the door, only to bump into Troy.

I was just about to go tell him how I really felt, but seeing him listen to my conversation made me boil with anger. "How could you?" I looked at him incredulously, a look of sheer unbelief and disgust on my face. "First you break my heart, and now you go eavesdropping?... I'm sorry, Troy. But I don't think we're friends anymore."

And just like that, I "dumped" him.

* * *

_**Later on Monday, April 3, 2006**_

Fine, I take everything about Troy possibly still liking me back.

_Jennifer._

I think I hate her.

Stupid whore.


End file.
